| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the guidance of course instructor Dr. Brian Klinkenberg, the support of teaching assistant Alejandro Cervantes, and consultations from Computer Lab Supervisor Jose Aparicio. My MSc thesis builds on a project designed by my advisor, Dr. Lori Daniels, in conjunction with her colleagues, Dr. Ze'ev Gedalof, Dr. Michael Pisaric, and Dr. Rosemary Sherriff. Dr. Sarah Gergel provided direction as a member of my committee. In addition, I extend my thanks to my friends, my lab mates in the Tree-Ring Lab at UBC, and my tireless field assistants, Eugénie Paul-Limoges and Olivia Freeman, for their sustained efforts to collect over 800 samples through the course of our field season in summer 2009. |